1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to system and method for placing circuit components on a design layout. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for processing a textual design script to place circuit components in a graphical design layout.
2. Description of the Related Art
Circuit designers use graphically based circuit design tools to place components on a hardware design layout. The visual depiction allows the circuit designer to see the components and how they interconnect with one another. The completed design can then be tested using a variety of tools before the layout is used to fabricate actual hardware.
Circuit and layout designers place components on a design layout using input means such as a mouse or a graphics tablet. The designer visually places components where the component will be installed in the circuit. For example, if a processor component is designed to utilize local memory, the processor and the local memory are placed proximate to each other. After components are placed, they are wired to each other. The circuit designer places the components using a specialized software application designed to graphically depict components. These components often allow the graphic design to be exported to a design language, such as VHDL, for use in fabricating the circuit. In addition, the software applications often include routing capabilities that allow the circuit designer to show how components are wired to each other as well as depict where the metal between components is routed.
While visual circuit design tools provide a valuable tool for circuit designers to view a circuit design before fabrication, working with large designs can be problematic, especially when changes are needed. When working with a graphic circuit design tool, many components may have to be moved in order to modify a design. For example, if an additional component is needed in the middle of a large design, the designer has to manually move components in order to create enough empty space in the middle to accommodate the additional component. A large design can include tens or even hundreds of components. Having to manually select and drag many of the components to new locations is both tedious and time consuming. In addition, errors in the design may be inadvertently introduced when components are moved.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that allows the designer to edit a textual file that describes component placement. Furthermore, what is needed is a system and method that converts the textual file into a format suitable to be read, and further manipulated, by the specialized graphics circuit-design software application.